“I try not to look at anything negative,” McGee told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “I’m grateful for the simple things I have in my life. Even though I had [a knee injury], I signed up knowing that that injury is a big part of competition and being a competitor and a professional athlete. But I can’t look at it negatively. ‘Oh, poor picked-on me.’

“That’s what I do. There’s a possibility you could get injured. I try and see what I can bring to the table rather than what I can take from it.”

McGee credits his well-documented battles with addiction for the appreciation of his current position. And while he doesn’t want to bring up his recovery process each and every time he fights, McGee said he won’t shy away from the subject. In fact, McGee hopes his story can help others in need.

“I’m not proud of what happened, but it’s a part of my life, and it’s who I am today,” McGee said. “If it means I can help just one other person and make a difference to make a choice to change whatever it is they’re doing that day, it’s all been worth it because whatever changed in me made a difference. If I can do that to somebody else and they make a difference, man, that’s a big deal. That’s what it’s all about.”

McGee last fought at this past October’s UFC 121 event, and despite picking up a submission win, he was sidelined with a broken hand. He was then expected to fight Jesse Bongfeldt at June’s UFC 131 event before a knee injury forced him out of action yet again. While it could have proven a frustrating stretch, McGee said it only served to sharpen his focus.

“Having some time off, I got to re-think – I never question the reason why I’m fighting – but just re-assure that No. 1, I do it to carry the message, and No. 2, I do it because the payout is that I can take better care of my family, family being my wife and two sons and my training partner and my team,” McGee said. “And No. 3, I love competition. I love being in the fight. I love taking 15 minutes figuring how to beat somebody.”

“He’s a bigger, quite possibly stronger, opponent,” McGee said of Yang. “The last guy was a little bit bigger – not as muscly. I’m going to have to overcome that and figure out how to beat him. That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

But heading into the matchup, McGee insists he’s improved both physically and mentally. He believes his 12-week training camp was the best of his life and that his game is progressing at an exponential rate.

“I don’t believe in ‘practice makes perfect,'” McGee said. “What the hell is perfect? If I’m fighting against one guy, maybe it won’t work with the next guy. Progress rather than perfection. That’s what I do. I progress every time, and I try and progress my game. I try and figure out how I can better myself for the next competition.”

McGee looks to build on the strength of back-to-back submission wins in the octagon, as well as extend an overall seven-fight win streak. Where he stands in the UFC’s middleweight division remains to be seen, but Yang does appear a step up in class. McGee, himself, won’t speculate as to where he belongs or what lies in his future. With nearly a year on the sidelines to reflect on his current station in life, McGee simply prefers to focus on the importance of now.

“I take this one day at a time,” McGee said. “I don’t look at destination. I don’t look at the championship. Of course a goal is to be the world champion, but it’s not a realistic goal today. My goal today is to stay focused, to relax.”

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